A number of devices for loading and carrying boats and other loads on top of vehicles already exist. These devices are designed primarily to be used with trucks and to place the boat or other load over the rear of the vehicles. Several of these devices require frames that interfere with the ability to use the load carrying bed of the trucks in which the devices are installed. For example, these devices cannot be used with a pickup or truck having a fifth-wheel trailer towing configuration. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,879 to Cudmore and U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,433 to Reed.
There are also devices which allow the boat or other load to be carried on top of other loads or campers in the load carrying bed of truck. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,905 to Garrison. While such devices allow the truck bed to be used, potential problems can occur from overloading the truck at its rear end. Also, by placing the boat or other load above objects in the truck bed, the truck's center of gravity is raised. Use of the truck to tow fifth-wheel trailer is not possible with this type of rear loading boat transport structure.
As illustrated by the present discussion, there are a number of desirable features for an apparatus for front end loading and carrying boats and other loads. It would be desirable to have an apparatus which would allow a boat or other load to be loaded, unloaded, and carried on top of vehicles' front ends. Similarly, it would be desirable to have such a device which would allow one person to load and unload the boat or other load. It would also be desirable to have a device which has an attachment means by which the boat or other load could be loaded and unloaded in different ways and at different points around the vehicle. Further, it would be desirable to have a device which uses a winching means that also could be used to move loads in and out of the truck bed.
Although the discussion herein relates primarily to an apparatus for loading and carrying boats, it is not intended that the invention be so limited. It will be obvious from the description that follows that the present invention will be useful in other applications with problems common to those described herein.